1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tag reading apparatus used for, e.g., managing the positions of articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In retail outlets such as department stores, supermarkets and convenience stores, display racks for products are installed on sales floors. Then, items of merchandise are displayed on the product display shelves and sold to customers.
In the stores, for example, tags are used when a large amount of merchandise is managed. That is, a tag is attached to each item of merchandise, and tags are also attached to the display shelves for merchandise, so that data printed or electronically recorded on the tags is used to manage which item of merchandise is located on which display shelf.
For example, a technique is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-180812, wherein wireless tags are attached to display shelves and articles displayed on these shelves to manage them. That is, the tags in which shelf numbers given to the product display shelves are recorded in IC chips in the form of electronic data are attached to the corresponding display shelves. Further, the tags in which identification numbers enabling the identification of the articles are recorded in IC chips in the form of electronic data are attached to the individual articles.
Then, a handheld reader/writer apparatus is brought into proximity with the tag attached to the display shelf to read the shelf number from the tag. Further, this reader/writer apparatus is brought into proximity with the tag attached to the article to record the read shelf number into the tag.
Thus, the identification number of the article and the shelf number are recorded on the tag attached to the article, thereby managing which article is displayed on which shelf.
However, when the identification number of the article and the shelf number are recorded on the tag of the article, the tags of the individual articles have to be read in order to know the correspondence between the articles and the display shelves. Therefore, when there is a plurality of display shelves and a large number of articles are displayed on the individual display shelves, the task of knowing the correspondence between the articles and the display shelves is complicated and troublesome.